June 14 - August 21, 2016

These days we find picture posts work the best as it keeps a history going of what we are doing day to day. It allows us to say a little without sharing too much about life with 130 missionaries. President and Sister Young do a great job with the missionaries and we are grateful everyday to have the opportunity to serve and work with them. We also love Vitoria, particularly in the southern hemisphere winter. The weather has been amazing the past couple of months. We survive the long days in the office with a morning walk, or some mornings a bike ride. We appreciate the city of Vitoria`s investment in bike stations. We signed up for a year and use a cellphone app to check-out the bikes. A few weeks ago we were riding down the elevator with four missionaries to go to lunch. One of them noticed Elder Burkinshaw's FitBit watch, so he showed them what it would do. They were very impressed that we had already done 10,000 steps that day and it was only noon while their day was just getting started. Our 5:30am walk is pretty impressive to the younger crowd but for us it is a matter of mental survival.

The "Bike Vitória" app shows all the stations where bikes are available on the island city of Vitória.  You can click on the Bikes and Available radio buttons to see where there are bikes.

One of the "Bike Vitória" stations in the early morning hours when we walk and sometimes bike.

Elder Burkinshaw checking out a bike to add variety to our morning exercise routine.

Sister Burkinshaw with her reading glasses sitting at her desk in the mission office. Notice the large painting on the wall of the baptism of Christ. It has a sandy texture which is unique, but descriptive of the area.

Sister Burkinshaw with a view of Elder Burkinshaw in the mission office.

The baptism of Tatiana with (l to r) Elder A. Pereira (São Paulo), Elder Andrade (Cabo Verde), Tatiana, Elder Oliveira (Curitiba), Elder Conde (São Paul) and Gustavo Rosa, who returned from his mission about one year ago.

We enjoy the opportunity to feed some of the young missionaries and Subway is one of their favorite places.  From left to right, Elder Garcia (Campina Grande near Recife), Elder Lake (Austin,TX but family has since moved to Spanish Fork) , Elder Burkinshaw, Elder T. Santos (Aracaju, Sergipe) and Elder Lugarani (Chubut, Argentina).

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Elder Jacundá (Anapolis, Goias near Brasilia) and Elder Gibby (Lone Tree, Colorado - south Denver) before going to lunch.  Elder Jacundá completed his degree in architecture before leaving on his mission.

When we take the missionaries to renew their visas at the Polícia Federal in the Shopping Praia da Costa Mall, we also take them to lunch and McDonalds is a favorite.  Left to right Elder Gabriel (Pernambuco, near Recife), Elder Davis (Lewisville, TX - Dallas area), Elder Lake (Spanish Fork, UT) and Elder Haymore (Pilot Mountain, North Carolina).

Elder D Nascimento (São Paulo) and Elder T Santos (Sergipe) sat with Elder and Sister Burkinshaw during our McDonald's Lunch at Shopping Praia da Costa.  Elder D. Nascimento lived in the adjacent apartment when we served in Teófilo Otoni.

Elder D. Nascimento, Elder T. Santos and Elder Burkinshaw at the food court in Shopping Praia da Costa.

Sister Albrecht (Cleveland) with new convert Claudicé and Sister Vieira (São José de Ribamar, Maranhão - along the northern coast of Brasil).  Sister Albrecht and Sister Vieira serve in the ward we attend - Maruipe.

Sister and Elder Burkinshaw with Elder A Silva on his last Sunday before returning to his home in Santarem, Para near Manaus.

Elder A Pereira (left) and Elder Conde holding his nose (right) in honor of Elder A Silva who is returning home.  They hold their nose because they always refer to missionaries finishing their mission as "dead" with the attendant "odor".

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Sister Camelo at the Vitória Airport as she prepares to return home to Brasilia.

From the mission home living room looking out at the beach, President Young instructs the missionaries who arrived that morning from the São Paulo MTC (CTM in Portugues).

The Maruipe Ward normally holds what is know as a festa junina (June Festival) but because of scheduling conflicts, it became a festa julina (July Festival).  Here Elder Burkinshaw sits at the door to hand out tickets for food.

Here are some of the kids in Caipira (Brazilian hillbilly) costumes for the Festa Julina,

Here are some of the youth in Caipira costumes - very cute.

The Frances and Tatiana Ulfeldt Family invited us to a family home evening at their home.  The lesson was on families and the activity was to cut out paper dolls, at which Elder Burkinshaw excelled!

After creating the family, Elder Burkinshaw labeled it.  Notice the heart-shapes between the individuals!  Very clever!!  Instructions were in the July Ensign and Liahona.

Following a visa renewal at the Polícia Federal, here were are at lunch with Elder Light (from Wasilla, Alaska) and Elder Januncdá (from Goiás)

On P-Day, these Sister Missionaries got up at 4:00am to climb the Morro do Moreno and watch the sunrise.  However, they didn't make lunch plans and they were starving so they called us and we met them at Subway!  Left to right Sister Ochoa (Veracruz, Mexico), Sister Martins (São Paulo), Sister Costa (São Paulo), Sister Bunderston (St. Louis, MO), Sister Schell (Winston-Salem, NC) and Sister Barros (Pacajus, Ceará near Fortaleza).  They ate with avidity!

On a Saturday afternoon, we assisted with a Mini-CTM (MTC Missionary Training Center) for the youth of the Vitória ward.  Here they are with their leaders, complete with their mock-name tags.

Here are the future missionaries of the Vitória Ward at the Mini-CTM activity.

Near the end of our morning walk, we saw a huge cable-laying ship leaving Vitória harbor.  You can see the huge spools of polyethylene pipe at the rear that used as conduit to carry undersea cable. 

We presented a family home evening lessons about family history at the home of the Curitiba Family who had recently been baptized.  Their home is on the hill (morro) between the church and downtown (centro) Vitória.

The family home evening selfie with the Curitiba Family.  For treats we had pãozinhos (small french bread buns) with salsicha (cut up hot-dogs in a tasty sauce) and Sister Burkinshaw´s chocolate cookies.

As we were departing from the Curitiba Family home, we took a picture of the beautiful view of the city of Vitória at night.  The Terçeira Ponte (bridge) is in the upper right hand corner.

Some of the Curitiba Family and Elder Burkinshaw with the lights of Vit[oria in the background.  At night the members walk us from their homes to a central locations to catch a taxi which we appreciate because it is dark and can be a little unsafe.

Elder Burkinshaw is keeping in practice by entertaining 20 month-old Pietro in Sacrament meeting while his mother, Luciana directs the music while Sister Burkinshaw plays the organ and his father, Pedro, who is in the Bishopric, sits on the stand.  We are the Caldas family´s home teachers.  The old bouncing-knee puts them to sleep every time. ;-)

Sister Burkinshaw often gets to play the piano for primary. Since her phone has her scriptures it goes with her to primary. After primary she found lots of selfie pictures on the phone from this little cutie.

Este é outro selfie desta linda garotinha.

We attended a Brazilian wedding this week for a returned missionary in the Maruipe ward. Sister Burkinshaw was asked to play the piano for the musical numbers. Members here are first married civilly and then travel to the Temple to be sealed. The evening was nice (much like a post sealing reception in the States), but there is a definite contrast between the civil ceremony  and the temple sealing. 

Sister Burkinshaw at the piano and Pedro on the violin while Pedro's wife Luciana sang. We did "A Thousand Years" and "What Heaven Sees in You".  Pedro and Luciana are very talented and we enjoy working with them both musically and as home teachers.

We finished the week with the Vitória Stake Conference. Sister Burkinshaw again had the opportunity to play for the Vitória Ward choir (and the request always comes with Elder Burkinshaw helping the bass section) who sang during the Sunday morning session. Area seventy, Elder Moroni B. Torgan, presided over the conference and we decided he was much like listening to Elder LeGrand Richards, speaking without notes and quoting scripture with detailed reference to book, chapter and verse. He spoke Saturday evening on the Atonement and Sunday morning on the teachings of baptism from the New Testament ending with an invitation to study the truths and ask in prayer if they are true.

President Young had the opportunity to speak during the Saturday evening session. During his few minutes, he invited all the Bishops to the front of the chapel and face the congregation. He then presented them each with a small bag of M&M's. He sang the following little song and then had the congregation stand and sing it with him. 

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos, (Members and missionaries work together)

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Para resgatar. (To rescue)

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos.

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Para batizar. (To baptize)

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Membros e missionários trabalham juntos,

Pada confirmar. (To confirm)

President continues to emphasis confirmation to the missionaries. At times we have baptisms by water, but the individual is never confirmed and therefore never becomes a member of the church and never has the opportunity to progress. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half--that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost."

LEMBRETE - REMINDER

Avante Vitória!!!

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw

May 1 - June 12, 2016

While our work in the office helps keep the mission running smoothly, it is fairly mundane. Our greatest enjoyment comes from personal interactions with the very dedicated young missionaries and with the members of the Maruipe and Vitória Wards. Our post will mostly consist of pictures, but pictures are worth a thousand words so we hope you enjoy them.  

With two of the beautiful young women at the Maruipe Wards New Beginnings.  Sister Burkinshaw always accompanies the special choir presentations.

With Gabi, a Laurel in the Maruipe Ward.  She is a faithful member despite having no family who are members of the Church like many of the first generation members here in Brasil.  Forty years ago during Elder Burkinshaw´s first mission, there were about 50,000 members in Brasil.  Now there are more that 50,000 baptized each year in Brasil.

Here we are with the Cordeiro family following a special family almoço (lunch).  The two brothers on the left (Edoriedson with white hair and Ewerton with dark hair) are married to two sisters (Khristiane e Katia).  We are hometeachers for Edoriedsons family.  

The week of May 28-June 4, with the approval of President Aidukitis of the Brasil Area Presidency, we had the opportunity to meet Chelsea and Jenny (and Jenny's room mate Megan) in Rio de Janeiro to see some of the sites and then take them to Vitória to see more sites.  We did more extra-curricular activities during this week than we have in the previous 14 months here in Brasil and it was great.  Here are pictures of some of our activities.

The view from our room in the JW Marriott hotel on Copacabana Beach.  Notice the lines in the sand, which are soaker hoses that keep the sand easier to walk on and cool.  The designs in the sidewalk are thousands of small black and white rocks set in mortar.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw arrived the afternoon before the girls so we could pick them up when they arrived early the next morning from the US.  Here is our obligatory beach selfie!

This is the rock point where Copacabana and Ipanema beaches meet.  It is also where the biggest waves come in and attracts surfers.

Megan and Jenny tried surfing for about an hour.  Since they hadn't slept the night before on the flight down, they were pretty tired after paddling against the surf to get into position.

Here you can see a large wave in the distance with at least 6 surfers.  It was fun to watch but you can bet it is a lot of work to paddle out for perhaps two minutes of surfing.

One of the more impressive sandcastle sculpture that we saw along Copacabana Beach.

This is Avenida Princesa Isabel (see the statue) who was the daughter of Dom Pedro "The Magnanimous", the last ruler of the empire of Brazil (1825-1891).  He planted trees from his residence to the beach so his daugther would have a cool path without direct sunlight. Their home (castle) is at the end of the trees, at the bottom of the hill in the background.

On Sunday morning we picked Chelsea up from the airport and then attended the Rio Comprido Ward.  Appropriately, their third-hour joint meeting was on missionary work!

This is the Rio Comprido Ward meetinghouse.  The chapel with a cultural hall is on the top level and the classrooms and offices are on the bottom level.  It is at the foot of a favela called Prazeres (Pleasures) named for the predominant profession practiced there:(

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw from the hills near the Rio Comprido meetinghouse.

Cristo Redentor is perhaps the most familiar landmark in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.  Located on Corcovado, a granite mountain overlooking the entire city, the 125 foot statue was dedicated in 1931 with a small chapel in the base for religious ceremonies.

The city of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay from Corcovado.

From Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf mountain) you can see Corcovado in the distance. 

Because many Brazilian cities are built on granite hills, there are always large concrete and stone stairways (escadaria) built for access.  The Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón took one of these stairways and created the world-famous Selarón steps as a tribute to the Brazilian people.  

Here are Jenny, Chelsea and Megan on the Escadaria Selarón which was created from 2000+ tiles collected from over 60 countries--one of the famous landmarks of Rio.

As we went through the Tijuca Forest , we thought we had seen something in the trees so we took a quick picture evidencing the silhouette of what appeared to be a monkey.

We stopped and behind the foliage of this tropical Atlantic rain forest (the world´s largest urban rain forest - 7% of the Rio´s area), we again spotted a face looking back at us.

Finally we captured an open view of a howler monkey, which was once native to the area but has recently been reintroduced, along with the capuchin and marmoset monkeys. 

Another of the wildlife native to the area are the beautiful little yellow saffron finch sometimes call the "canário do telhado" or roof canary.  We often see them as we walk along the beach in Vitória as well.

One of the many lizards we see on the granite rock that is so predominant all along the coast here in Brazil.  We often see lizards on the walls and ceilings of the homes we visit. 

This is Pão de Açucar or Sugarloaf Mountain, another familiar site here in Rio de Janeiro.  These granite monoliths are very common along the coast of Brazil.  In the early days of the sugar cane trade in Brazil, the sugar was shaped in conical molds for shipping, similar to the shape of the mountain and hence the name.

Another view of Corcovado with Christ the Redeemer statue visible from Pão de Açucar at sunset.  You can see how the statue is visible from almost everywhere in the city.

Guanabara Bay at sunset from Morro da Urca (Urca Hill).  The trip to the top of Pão de Açucar begins with a cable tram ride to Morro da Urca and then a second tram to Pão de Açucar.

Guaranbara Bay from Pão de Açucar with the tram cables in the foreground.

Megan, Jenny and Sarah from Pão de Açucar with Guaranabara Bay in the background.

Jenny, Chelsea with Sister and Elder Burkinshaw from Morro da Urca with Guaranabara Bay in the background.  It had been a very warm day and it had finally begun to cool off.

At the Restaurante Timoneiro we had moqueca, a fish stew unique to the state of Espirito Santo (Holy Ghost).  Vitória residents are known as Capixabas and while moqueca capixaba was a common staple there100 years ago, now it is a wonderful treat.  It was delicious!

Another picture at Restaurante Timoneiro with photos of Vitória in the early days.  The area where our apartment and the mission office is located was originally underwater but was recovered by hauling thousands of tons of granite rock into the area in the 1940s.

The top of Morro do Moreno (Hill of the Dark-Skinned) is one of the higher spots overlooking Vitória and a popular hiking destination but is actually located in Vila Velha, the city to the south of Vitória.

Partway up our climb to the top of Morro do Moreno.  The girls wore their swimming suits so they could take advantage of the beach after our climb.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw may be a bit older but we led the climb up the sometimes steep trail to the top of Morro do Moreno!

Here at the top of Morro do Moreno, you can see the Terceia Ponte (Third Bridge) that joins Vitória and Vila Velha and the bay leading to the economically important Vitória port.

Another view of the Terçeia Ponte (built 26 years ago) and the city of Vitória.  Note the hills and how high the neighborhoods are built into the hills.  It provides insight into why knee problems seem to be a common ailment for our missionaries.

In the foreground is the Ilha do Boi (Ox Island) and the Ilha do Frade (Friar Island) which are some of the more upscale neighborhoods in Vitória.  Our morning walks often include one of these two neighborhoods.  In the distant background is the the city of Serra (Mountain) which is aptly name. 

Jenny was apparently excited about the view from Morro do Moreno!

Here is a view looking opposite the Vitória side of Morro do Moreno to Vila Velha (Old Village) which, as the name implies, is a much older settlement than Vitória.  Vila Velha also has some wonderful beaches and a majority of the people who work in Vitória live in Vila Velha which gives some insight to why the Terçeia Ponte bridge is so crowded during rush hour.  This is where we went after our hike to enjoy the beach.

Some of the beautiful beach areas in Vila Velha.

We rented a car and drove about two hours into the interior of the state of Espirito Santo to see the famous landmark Pedra Azul (Blue Rock).  This unique granite monolith turns different colors depending on the direction of the sunlight.  This area is also the source of the mineral water sold in greater Vitória under the label "Pedra Azul."

The girls with Pedra Azul in the background.

Back in Vitória, here is one of the beautiful sunrise vistas during our morning walk that makes it just another day in paradise!

One Saturday we were riding bikes on the north side of the Praia do Camburi and for the first time we witnessed Kite Surfing.  Here´s a 15 second videoclip of some amazing talent.

Elder Almir Pereira is a remarkable missionary who was disowned by his family when he joined the Church.  He now serves as an Assistant to President Young.  For his birthday, the sister missionaries (knowing Elder A. Pereira loves cockroaches) made him a unique bolo de barrata (cockroach cake).

Elder A. Pereira and Elder Verçoza made a brownie cake for Elder Burkinshaw´s 61^st birthday and delivered it to the mission office.  So we took them to Subway for lunch and returned to devour the cake (we did save a couple of pieces for Pres. and Sister Young).

The story of Elder A. Pereira who was the trainer from Elder Braga illustrates the power of the gospel in an individual´s life.  Elder Braga, also the only member in his family, came into the mission field only to recognize that he had not resolved all the issues necessary to qualify as a representative of Jesus Christ.  With no family support, he returned home to settle those matters and about six months later returned to re-assume the honored title of Elder and minister of the Lord.  Elder Verçoza, Elder A. Pereira´s most recent companion and assistant to the president was released to become Elder Braga´s trainer highlighting the fact that the Lord directs the details of our lives.  

We are so grateful for this opportunity to be in Brazil working with these missionaries as well as President and Sister Young. The Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses lives. Elder Russell M. Ballard recently said:

“No one passes through this process of mortality without challenges of some kind or another,” .... He asked that if at any time things became difficult and [we] started questioning, “Would you pause and let your mind go to Gethsemane? … Would you allow your mind to see the greatest hero, the greatest friend, the most important person in all of our lives, kneeling in supplication that He would have the capacity to do what Heavenly Father had sent Him to do? That somehow through His Atonement, He could lift the sins of all those who would come unto Him on condition of repentance. That through Him and His Atonement, we would all be able to carry the burdens that life might present to us.” 

During our most recent new missionary training meeting, Elder Braga shared his testimony upon returning to the mission field.  We felt the truth and promise of the Atonement, and it makes us every grateful to be able to serve in a small way in this life-changing work.  

"...Jesus answered... Fear not: believe only, and [w]e shall be made whole." (Luke 8:50)

Avante Vitória!!!

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw